Trunk-edge protector.



H. MYERS.

TRUNK EDGE PROTECTOR.

APPLlcAloN FILED SEPT. 27, 1912.

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TRUNK-EDGE PROTECTOR.

Application filed September 27, 1912.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY MYERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at 314 North Tenth street, Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Trunk-Edge Protector, of which the following is a specification.

The purposes of my invention are to additionally stiften the edge and corner constructions of trunks.

A further purpose of my invention is to fasten a stiff metal edge to the material of a trunkmuch more securely than has been possible hitherto obtaining a minimum of weight with great rigidness.

.A further purpose of my invention is to unite two approaching metal edge strips by a diagonal brace near a corner and, preferably, to stien this brace and a corner guard or buffer mutually by connecting them together. Y

Further purposes of my invention will appear from the specification and particularly from the claims thereof.

I have preferred to illustrate my invention by one form thereof which has proved to be practical, eflicient and inexpensive and which at the same time well illustrates the principles involved.

Figure 1 is an end elevation of a trunk showing the preferred form of my invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective, partly in section of a trunk corner embodying my invention, the corner buffer being omitted. Fig. 3 is a broken end elevation, partly in section of a corner such as is shown in Fig. 1,- the buffer being dotted in position. Fig. 4 is a broken section of two meeting trunk sides showing the edge stiflening used.

Metal edging, to be effective, requires a strip having enough thickness to secure the requisite rigidity; and must, therefore, be quite narrow to avoid excessive weight.

.Since a trunk is essentially a box and the covering is built upon and about the box, this lining material has interfered with riveting the edge strips or stilf'eners to the body of the trunk. Moreover, the difliculty of getting at the. parts for machine riveting has also discouraged such construction even if it were otherwise practicable. As a result, the stiff metal edging in current use is not only tacked on, but is tacked along onel only of the two flanges at right angles which comprise the edging. Tacks in the other Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 6, 1915.

semi No. 722,587.

flange would lie too close to the joint between the wooden frame parts for appreciable advantage from them. As the wood dries out, the tacks lose part of their hold. As an additional precaution it is customary to inclose the strips at intervals by edge brackets which are tacked in place. These are exterior, discontinuous, heavy and eX- pensive.

I purpose attaching the heavy metal edging rigidly to a light but strong and considerably wider additional edge stiffener, also of angular form, under circumstances such that this attachment may be made rigid and more permanent, permitting it to be' done conveniently by machine riveter, for example. By this construction the additional stilfener may be attached to the body of the trunk at a much greater distance from the edge than could be the case with the metal edging without excessive weight for the metal, obtaining the additional leverage corresponding to the additional distance from theedge in resisting strains of whatever character.

I have shown my invention as applied to an edge and corner of a trunk for convenience of illustration, but obviously it could be used with substantially equal advantage in other box-like structures and with other meeting angles than right angles.

I illustrate a trunk whose body is formed so far as shown of the top board l, side board 2, and end 3, covered ordinarily with liber or other suitable light protective material shown at 4, 5 and 6. I have shown the edges as meeting at a right angle and have correspondingly applied right angular edge protection. This is shown in the form of a fiber angle 7, having flanges 8 and 9, and a metal angle 10, having flanges l1 and 12.

The flanges 1l and 12 are preferably riv eted to the flanges 8 and 9, as at 13, and are secured to the latter before these fiber flanges are secured to the body of the trunk. `Wherever the exigencies of use require I purpose using permanent rivet fastenings for the fiber also, as at 13', but find that it is sufficient ordinarily to tack them to the body of the trunk, since they can be tacked at fact that both flanges of my metal edging 10 are attached to the trunk, (through the intermediate preferably ber angle) at reasonable intervals makes it possible for me to avoid the use of retaining clamps or frames such as are so generally employed with the present construction.

At the corners, where two angles meet, I prefer to place an angle strap which I have shown as comprising arms 16 and 17, uniting its arms to the several angles preferably by any suitable means, which may be the same means by which the latter are united to the auxiliary wider preferably fiber edging.

Whether any corner angle be used or not, I prefer to unite the angles in one or more of the three planes formed in each corner by a stiflening brace, extending between those flanges of the meeting angles which lie in the same or substantially parallel planes, here illustrated by the braces 18, extending between flanges as 11, and preferably united to the flanges by the same means which unites these flanges to the flanges 8, 8 of the preferably fiber auxiliary edge protector.

I prefer to use trunk corners of some one of the recognized present forms at the corners, whether or not I make use of the corner-connecting flanges 16, 17, and have illustrated a conventional corner at 19. Whatever the form of corner used and whatever the number of openings 20 provided in the plate 21 by which it is intended to be secured to the body of the trunk, I prefer to secure this inner member 21 to the brace 18 and can do this with the least trouble by using the same fastenings for the purpose as those used to secure the plate 21 to the trunk, these fastenings being conventionally shown at 22. While it may be desirable to brace in all of the three planes at each corner equally this will not be necessary in all constructions. Both the braces land connecting plates such as 2l may be omitted in some of the planes, as in Fig. 1, or the braces used in one or moreof the planes; as at 18', Fig. 2, without connection with the trunk corner buffer as purposed at 18, which lacks the intermediate perforations; or other combinations of the stiffening means shown by me may be supplied within the discretionof the maker in view of the needs, intended use and other structure of the trunk which is being designed. c

The brace or braces 18 or 18 rigidly support the corner angles in relation to each other, and may at the same time retain the corner buffer firmly in position. The corner piece or buffer, wherever connected to the strap by a plate, coperates to stien the brace against diagonal strains away from the corner and overlaps the brace, protecting it in this way also.

the corner piece and by the diagonal stripsA 18, 18 and that the corner piece additionally protects the frame near the corner because of its attachment to the diagonal strips by means of the plates or extensions 21.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device of the character stated, a trunk body, a pair of edgecstrips therefor meeting in a corner, a diagonal strip joining the corner strips near their. meeting point, a corner piece fitting over the meeting portions of the edge strips, anextension of said corner piece secured to the diagonal strip and means for securing the strips and.

corner piece to the trunk. j

2. In a device of the character stated, a trunk body, three edge strips meeting in a corner, diagonal strips joining the edge strips in the three planes represented, a cor-- ner piece covering the meeting ends of the edge strips, three extensions from the corner piece joined to the diagonal strips and means for securing the strips and corner piece to the trunk.

3. In a device of the character stated, aA

trunk body having a corner, main andv auxiliary edge-protecting angles along two of the edges united to form the corner, having one flange of each along one edge in a substantially parallel plane with one flange of each along the other edge and a brace joining these flanges at a distance from the corner and united to them.

4. In a device of the character stated, a

trunk body having a corner, edge-protecting angles along two of the edges uniting to form the corner having one flange along one edge in a substantially parallel plane with one ange along the other edge, a braceA` joining these flanges at a distance from the corner and united to them and va corner Vbuffer having an extension diagonal to the meeting flanges and united tothe brace.

' 5. In a device of the character stated, a trunk body, covering material therefor, a pair of rigid edge protecting angles for two edges joining in a corner, means for uniting the edge protecting anglewith the body,a

second pair of edge protecting angles havf. Y

ing narrower flanges than the first angles,

means for uniting the two vsets of angles buffer extended to engage with the strip separate from the trunk body, a strip er1- and uniting means for the buffer and strip. gaging anges of different angles of the Vsecond pair of strips lying in substantially HENRY MYERS.

parallel planes, salu. strip extending trans- Witnesses:

versely across the corner, means uniting the' HELEN I. KAUFFMAN,

strip to the flanges of said angles, a corner WM. STEELL JACKSON.

Copies o1' this patent may be obtained for ive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

